With greater and greater emphasis being placed on automotive safety, and in particular, requirements with respect to bumper structures capable of absorbing impacts, for example, at five miles per hour or more without damage to the bumper of vehicle structure, a need arises, not only for a bumper structure capable of withstanding the impact loads mentioned, but also one which is compact, relatively simple in construction and preferably capable of being so designed that considerably greater impact loads can be accommodated than those presently specified with respect to current motor cars and the like.
It will be appreciated that accommodation of greater impact loads primarily involves an increase in bumper travel, together with suitable control of the shock absorbing mechanism, for example, hydraulic cylinders, to provide a suitable desired control of the shock absorbing action, for example a progressive non-linear action.
It will also be appreciated that the provision of increased and relatively long bumper travel correspondingly progressively increases the front to rear dimensions of the bumper and shock absorbing structures, of standard type utilizing hydraulic cylinders which have an operative travel in such front to rear directions.